LAHAINA — The prelims are done for the Lahainaluna High School football team.

The Lunas set up the game of the year in the Maui Interscholastic League with their methodical 28-6 win over King Kekaulike on Saturday night at Sue Cooley Stadium to finish the first round of MIL play.

“The defense worked hard this week, putting in different schemes, and you know, we just wanted to see how it worked,” Lahainaluna co-head coach Dean Rickard said. “Fortunately, we were able to kind of control them. So, yeah, kudos to our defense, no doubt.”

In six days, the MIL Division I first-round champion Lunas (4-0) will meet Maui High (3-1) at War Memorial Stadium on the Sabers’ homecoming night. The game is a huge factor in the race for the MIL D-I state tournament berth.

“Now that the first round is over, we are going to watch the film and start getting ready,” Rickard said after his team’s 35th MIL win in a row, dating to 2016. “As you know, we start off with Maui High next week. I’m sure they were here and now we just gotta prepare and, again, minimize the mistakes.”

The Sabers will be coming off a bye — the two teams fought to a 17-10 Lunas win in Lahaina on Aug. 20 when they combined for just 286 yards from scrimmage.

Rickard said he anticipates a large crowd for the Maui High game and he expects the Sabers to be well prepared.

“Yeah, definitely, you know they got the bye, so they have that extra week and we know they’ll be ready,” he said. “Even the kids know that the game against Maui High could put us ahead, or we could take control (of the MIL Division I race). And that’s what we’re going to work on and we’re going to try to explore different packages, offensively, defensively.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been a while since we’ve had a big game like this. I’m sure that everyone’s excited and we just hope that our fans will be there because we know that Maui High is going to be there. If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that their homecoming? Is it? I’m not sure.”

When told that the game is indeed Maui High’s homecoming, Rickard said: “It is what it is, but we’ll be prepared.”

Against Na Alii, the Lunas took a 14-0 lead into the locker rooms at halftime after a defensive first two quarters.

The first quarter was scoreless and then the Lunas struck first when Kaulana Tihada caught a 10-yard pass from Lyric Kahula with 10 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first half.

The 23-yard, four-play drive was set up by a 27-yard punt return by Kuola Watson.

The Lunas made it 14-0 on their next play from scrimmage when Ian-Jay Cabanilla hauled in a pass from Noa Gordon and rumbled 62 yards to the end zone.

The usually run-heavy Lunas took to the pass to account for 193 of their 204 yards in the first half. For the game, the Lunas piled up 227 yards in the air and 154 on the ground — the 381 yards of offense was their season high in MIL play.

Avery Baybayan’s 11-yard scoring run in the third quarter and Kade Cunningham’s 25-yard TD reception from Kahula early in the fourth accounted for the rest of the Lunas’ scoring.

“Offensively, we’re still not satisfied, definitely not satisfied,” Rickard said. “We’re not really moving the ball as well as we’d like to move the ball. Tonight, we really explored our passing game, we went to the pass, we wanted to see how we’d do there. Our quarterbacks just gotta sometimes take their time, make their reads.

“We were happy with our run game in the second half — we went in, made some adjustments, but King K is tough and we told the kids they’re going to come to play.”

King Kekaulike managed just 60 yards of offense in the first two quarters, but finished with 194 and got on the scoreboard with a final drive that was capped by a 32-yard touchdown run by Kalelepono Wong with 3 seconds to go.

Nui Crozier, Na Alii’s 410-pound senior offensive lineman, missed the game and was wearing a knee brace and using crutches on the sideline. He said after the game he hopes to be back this season but is not sure when that will be.

Na Alii (2-2) are the MIL Division II first-round champions and know they will have at least a championship playoff game for their first state berth since their 2006 D-II state crown.

King Kekaulike has a monumental game of its own in two weeks when Na Alii visit Kamehameha Maui on Sept. 30. First, King Kekaulike will play Baldwin on Friday at War Memorial, the Bears’ homecoming night.

“We played tough, I think all four quarters we were going back and forth,” King Kekaulike coach Tyson Valle said. “We made some mistakes that cost us some points, but when you play a good team like the Lunas, you can’t make those mistakes.

“We’ve been working on some things, offensive, defensively. I mean, at the end of the day we’re trying to get ready for Kam. So, this was a good test for us to see where we’re at.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

*****

King Kekaulike 0 0 0 6–6

Lahainaluna 0 14 7 7–28

Second Quarter

LL–Kaulana Tihada 10 pass from Lyric Kahula (kick blocked), 10:19.

LL–Ian-Jay Cabanilla 62 pass from Noa Gordon (Tihada run), 8:14.

Third Quarter

LL–Avery Baybayan 11 run (Manny Diaz Diaz kick), 4:44.

Fourth Quarter

LL–Kade Cunningham 25 pass from Kahula (Diaz Diaz kick), 8:46.

KK–Kalelepono Wong 32 run (run failed), 0:03.

KK LL

First downs 9 15

Rushes-yards 40-115 31-154

Passing yards 79 227

Total offense 194 381

Return yards 59 70

Comp-Att-Int 4-11-0 11-15-0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2

Penalties-yards 5-42 5-42

Punts-avg 9-32.9 3-37.7

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–King Kekaulike, Kalelepono Wong 13-54, Kalani Puu 13-31, Tysin Zackious 14-30; Lahainaluna, Kaulana Tihada 9-82, Michael Rayray 1-20, Cabanilla 6-15, Talan Toshikiyo 2-9, Chester Albiller 2-7, Cunningham 1-7, Lehia Tihada 1-5, Kahula 1-4, team 1-3, Baybayan 3-2, Gordon 3-2, Aukai Hokoana 1-(minus 2).

PASSING–King Kekaulike, Wong 4-11-0–79; Lahainaluna, Kahula 7-9-0–126, Gordon 4-6-0–101.

RECEIVING–King Kekaulike, Tobias Vazquez 1-41, Zackious 1-14, Jake Yoro 1-13, Kingston Kapu 1-11; Lahainaluna, Kanaau Castro 2-60, Kaimiloa Kaina-Allen 2-23, Payden Nakihei 2-22, Cabanilla 1-62, Cunningham 1-25, Kainoa Keanini 1-17, Kaulana Tihada 1-10, Baybayan 1-8.

MISSED FIELD GOAL–Lahainaluna, Diaz Diaz 28 (WL).

Junior varsity–Lahainaluna 21, King Kekaulike 6.

Friday’s Result

KAMEHAMEHA MAUI 55, BALDWIN 19

Kamehameha Maui 28 14 13 0–55

Baldwin 0 0 0 19–19

First Quarter

KSM–Kanekoa Maielua-Kekiwi 21 fumble return (Makaha Pang kick), 10:37.

KSM–Frank Abreu 63 pass from Makana Kamaka-Brayce (Pang kick), 7:26.

KSM–Teiva Kauha’a-Po 2 run (Pang kick), 5:18.

KSM–Joshua Kerr 8 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Pang kick), no time available (scoreboard malfunction).

Second Quarter

KSM–Abreu 8 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Pang kick), NT.

KSM–Pa’ani Yap 18 interception return (Pang kick), NT.

Third Quarter

KSM–Kauha’a-Po 5 run (kick blocked), 9:59.

KSM–Abreu 51 pass from Kamaka-Brayce (Pang kick), 0:26.

Fourth Quarter

B–Joseph Randolph 75 run (Brock Toma kick), NT.

B–Randolph 33 pass from Antone Sanches (kick failed), NT.

B–Sanches 11 run (kick failed), NT.

KSM B

First downs 14 7

Rushes-yards 13-76 27-133

Passing yards 242 65

Total offense 318 198

Return yards 186 47

Comp-Att-Int 14-18-0 5-12-1

Fumbles-lost 2-1 4-1

Penalties-yards 3-20 3-15

Punts-avg 0-0 6-23.3

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Kamehameha Maui, Kauhaa-Po 4-38, Tyler Sado 2-9, Heno Stone-Han 1-9, Joshua Kerr 3-8, Kamaka-Brayce 2-7, Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira 1-5; Baldwin, Randolph 8-84, James Jardine 5-41, Sanches 11-10, Gavin Acosta 1-5, Toma 1-3, team 1-(minus 10).

PASSING–Kamehameha Maui, Kamaka-Brayce 14-18-0–242; Baldwin, Sanches 5-12-1–65.

RECEIVING–Kamehameha Maui, Abreu 4-144, Poo Aiu 3-34, Stone-Han 3-23, Kauila Shiffler 2-14, Kauhaa-Po 1-19, Kerr 1-8; Baldwin, Randolph 1-33, Kaimana Kahoopii 1-12, Trotter Apo 1-7, Alex Murata 1-7, Isaac Kaalakea 1-6.

MISSED FIELD GOAL–none.

Junior varsity–Kamehameha Maui 24, Baldwin 0.

*****

MIL Football

DIVISION I STANDINGS

W L Pct PF PA

x-Lahainaluna 4 0 1.000 108 30

Maui High 3 1 .750 88 20

Baldwin 0 4 .000 25 168

DIVISION II STANDINGS

W L Pct PF PA

x-King Kekaulike 2 2 .500 57 74

KS Maui 1 3 .250 88 74

x-clinched first-round championship

Friday’s Result

Kamehameha Maui 55, Baldwin 19

Saturday’s Result

Lahainaluna 28, King Kekaulike 6

SECOND ROUND

Friday, Sept. 23

Baldwin vs. King Kekaulike at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Maui High vs. Lahainaluna at War Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.